Win in 2018 with these 5 Tips!!!

If you were among the 100 plus people that attended The South Florida Black Business Directory end of the year soiree, you saw #BlackExcellence stand shoulder to shoulder, wall to wall and celebrate a shift towards a collective effort to shop black. As one of 3 founders of The South Florida Black Business Directory (#SFLBBD), and the host of the soiree, I admired the beauty of my community and what we accomplished that night. Without a question, it was evident that my tribe was in the building representing elevation of the culture. Soiree attendees applauded our efforts to encourage patronage over mere support; love over distrust; and understanding over complaints.

However, overwhelmed with emotion, and true to my nature, I began to over-think. I wondered who would remember the mission seasons from now. Who would honor the encouragers, the givers and the pioneers by picking up the torch and continuing to blaze a trail? Who would say, job well done and financially back the efforts of The #SFLBBD? Because un-fortunately, our history proves that some “skin folk” aint our kin folk and see opportunity in actively working to oppose The Black Agenda. Allow me to introduce Omarosa as Exhibit “A”. Riddled with questions and doubt, I took my concerns to a trusted friend and consistent #SFLBBD sponsor, Gwendolyn Bennett of Total Life Changes. She responded with wisdom, reminding me to focus on my focus and to prepare for more wins in 2018! This was confirmation, as prior to, Mr. Bobby Henry, publisher of the Westside Gazette challenged me to write an “On the Scene” article about winning in the New Year. Accordingly, I have five tips for winning in 2018. Like to read ‘em? Well, here they go!

Tip #1: Name Your Year:

I learned about naming years from my mentor Dr. Fidel Goldson Junior, a second gene-ration chiropractor and successful entrepreneur. Names carry power, so naming your year should be an annual tradition that establishes laser focus while guiding your actions. However, when naming your year for the first time, you could be overwhelmed in your attempt to label 365 days with one word, phrase or theme. To give you some ideas, I asked my Facebook friends about their theme or word for 2018, and out of the 122 comments, here are a few that stood out to me the most: 1) Harvest, 2) Walk in Love, 3) Execute, 4) Uncommon Favor – The Year of Divine Release and 5) Be Unstoppable.

My word for 2018 is seasons. I plan to shift from season to season embracing the courage to grow and develop. I will avoid prolonging toxic and/ or barren relationships while cultivating resourceful associations both in and out of season.

Tip #2: Pray and Plan It Out:

Prayers and plans could be viewed by many as oxymorons as prayer suggests one’s openness to a Master Plan, while planning alludes to one’s desire to control the outcome of a thing. However, think about how contractors respect blue-prints, how teachers spend hours creating lesson plans, and how trainers allow meal charts to guide them to achieving their desired body goals. God uses plans too. He uses your plan to remind you through the highs and lows of the journey to maintain your faith. Having placed the desired plan in your heart in the first place, He wants nothing more than to do exceedingly above what you can ever imagine…

Tip # 3: Respect God Moments:

God moments test character and determine your readiness to graduate. After being laid off from my job of 7 years in 2013, the security blanket of a steady pay check was ripped from un-derneath me without warning. As a result, I couldn’t pay my mortgage, I volunteered my car for repossession, and I found myself in a position where I couldn’t even pay my light bill. There was nothing left for me to bear when a former friend called to check on me. I probably could have been justified in ‘missing’ her call as years prior to her calling, our 10-year friendship ended with a violent fist fight as a result of her dating my ex-boyfriend. She beat me up in the apartment we shared because I preferred her boyfriend not visit when she wasn’t home. Luckily, my family was there at the time and able to stop the attack, and ultimately stop me from shooting her. Because once free of my attacker’s grasp, my mother found me loading my work gun and preparing to shoot and kill. My mom looked me in my eyes, took the firearm, and told me she wasn’t worth it.

Despite what occurred, years later, I answered the phone because I knew I wasn’t in a position where I couldn’t afford to miss any God moments. My former friend asked me to come to the home that she shared with her husband, my college boyfriend. I went. The 3 of us chatted briefly, and upon leaving, she hugged me and placed light bill money exact to the dollar in the palm of my hands. The tears streamed down my face. God was definitely in the midst. He was testing my ability to forgive and receive. Respecting God moments are not always easy, but they are essential to winning.

Tip #4: Get and Give wisdom

As a young girl, my grandmother stressed the importance of sharing knowledge, while my father would stress the importance of gaining knowledge. Together those opposite view-points impacted my ability to be a student and a teacher at the same time. Life has taught me that the secret sauce is honoring when God wants you to get just as much as when He wants you to give. It’s the natural laws of reaping and sowing.

Tip #5: There is a Blessing in Every Lesson

Let’s say you mess it all up… The good news is you still win! Every time we fall short or miss the mark, there is a lesson to be learned. In 2017, I loss friends who meant so much, I had lovers show their unloving colors, and I even had a client become jealous to the point of self-sabotage. It’s the type of behavior that will have you standing in the middle of success over thinking, riddled with questions and succumbing to doubt. In these moments, I recall Gwen’s advice and Mother Teresa’s “Do it Anyway” Prayer. Forgive the self-centered; know that unfaithful friends are a part of journey; and always give the best that you have because the final analysis is between you and God.

Wow! I cannot wait to hear your testimonies of you winning in 2018! Contrary to popular belief, 2017 wasn’t a hard year. It was a year of testing, revelation and exposure like any other year. If you did not win in 2017, change the narrative of 2018 by naming it success, praying for provisions, and honoring your God moments. There is a blessing in every lesson so get and give wisdom depending on the sea-son. You will eventually come to understand how your success is personally vital to me, The South Florida Black Business Directory and Press Release Marketing, but until then, Happy New Year!!!